It’s B-a-a-c-k! Livestock Virus ReturnsMay 22, 2015Vesicular stomatitis, a contagious virus that afflicts mainly horses and cattle, has returned to Texas for the second year in a row after starting the season in New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Texas last year saw vesicular stomatitis (VS) cases at 54 premises in 11 counties before the disease, which causes blistering and swelling of animals’ tongues and lips, faded away. Colorado, which was hit even worse than Texas, has not reported any cases this year. Until 2014, Texas had been VS-free for five years. “If you suspect your animals have VS, you should notify your veterinarian immediately,” said State Veterinarian Dee Ellis, DVM, who also serves as executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission. “Texas had its largest VS outbreak in history last year, and we must remain vigilant in protecting our livestock industry in 2015.” The first case of 2015 in the Southwestern United States was confirmed April 29 by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. The New Jersey serotype of the virus was found in a horse in Grant County, N.M. Two days later, infections of the same serotype were confirmed in three horses in Maricopa County, Ariz., and in a mule in Kane County, Utah, that …
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Tuskegee Grad Wins Bayer Communications AwardMay 22, 2015Clients at Westchester Veterinary Hospital in High Point, N.C., better be ready to listen. The practice’s newest veterinarian, Chad Malpass, DVM, on Thursday was named the national winner of the Bayer Excellence in Communication Award. Dr. Malpass, a 2015 graduate of the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, was selected from among 27 student finalists, all of whom demonstrated a superb ability to effectively speak with pet owners. The third annual contest, sponsored by drug maker Bayer HealthCare, required participating students at 27 veterinary schools to film themselves interviewing a client in a clinical setting. Faculty members using a scorecard chose their school’s finalist. Bayer reported that Malpass “outscored the competition with strong core communication skills, including effective use of open-ended questions, empathy and reflective listening.” Malpass was awarded a $2,500 scholarship for being Tuskegee’s finalist and $2,500 for his national victory, but he said the contest paid off in other ways. “Working on my submission … at least doubled the effectiveness of my communications skills specific to veterinary medicine, but even beyond,” he said. The 26 other finalists, each of whom received $2,500 scholarships, were: Mason Chandler (Auburn University) Kay Wicinas (University of California, Davis) Jenny …
Vet Techs Take Lead on Heartworm EducationMay 21, 2015Seven veterinary technicians have been recruited to teach their peers to start conversations with pet owners about a serious topic: heartworm prevention. The team, called the Merial Tech Champions, will show up at events nationwide to spread the messages that heartworm disease is potentially fatal, monthly preventives are recommended and veterinary technicians should raise the topic with pet owners. The sponsor is Merial Ltd. of Duluth, Ga., the manufacturer of the Heartgard Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) heartworm preventive. Among the team members is Julie Legred, CVT, the executive director of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). “As veterinary technicians, we have many daily responsibilities to our patients that keep us busy,” Legred said. “Among these is talking with pet owners about the threat of heartworm disease and the importance of monthly prevention. Pet owners should always speak with a veterinarian about which products are effective and easy to administer.” The team will work to put misconceptions about heartworm disease to rest. “One mosquito bite is all it takes to transmit heartworms,” Legred said. “It’s extremely important that all pet owners understand this risk as they consider ways to keep their pets healthy.” The other members are Kara M. Burns, …
Wisconsin Vet Lab Names New DirectorMay 21, 2015Philip Bochsler, DVM, Ph.D., chief of pathology at Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL), will assume duties as the lab’s new director on July 6. Dr. Bochsler was chosen as the new director after a national search. Bochsler will succeed Peter Vanderloo, DVM, who has served as interim director since the departure of former director Thomas McKenna, DVM, Ph.D., in September 2014. Dr. McKenna left the WVDL for a new position in Massachusetts. Darrell Bazzell, UW-Madison vice chancellor for finance and administration, says Bochsler has developed a strong record of leadership, service and achievement since he joined the WVDL management team in 2001. “With his experience and expertise, Dr. Bochsler is well-suited to move into the director’s position and provide the highest quality of service to the lab, the university, the state and its agricultural community,” Bazzell says. Bochsler said he is honored to have the opportunity to serve the state of Wisconsin and a world-class laboratory and university. “I look forward to working with the outstanding team of professionals at the WVDL and with our clients and partners across the state,” he said. In addition to his duties as WVDL’s chief of pathology, Bochsler is a clinical diagnostic professor in …
3-D Printers Help Vets Prep for SurgeryMay 20, 2015A $2,500 printer is spitting out realistic plastic bones to help Ohio State University veterinary students practice surgical techniques before they operate on dogs. The designs fed into the 3-D printer are based on CT images taken at the Veterinary Medical Center. “We can use a CT scan from a patient and produce a bone model that looks exactly like the bone in the dog,” said Tatiana Motta, DVM, MS, an assistant professor in the department of veterinary clinical sciences. The manufacturing is relatively fast—a few hours or less in some cases—but turning the CT image into a readable file for the printer is time consuming. A printed bone may be produced within 24 hours of a scan, Dr. Motta said. The 3-D printer—the MakerBot Replicator 2X—layers strings of plastic to create the bone, Ohio State reported. Each layer is 700 strings thick. Faculty members are using printed bones for training as well. 3-D replicas have assisted associate professor Jonathan Dyce, VetMB, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVS, as he plans surgeries on dogs suffering from severe limb deformities. “I think we are just starting to realize the advancements this technology may give us,” Dr. Dyce said. “The next few years …
What Google’s Mobile Changes Mean to Vet PracticesMay 20, 2015When the iPhone debuted in the summer of 2007, few people thought it would grab hold with the steadfast grip that it did. Instead, it became the catalyst for a smartphone revolution, one that boiled everything down to fit right within your pocket. The mobile revolution is here to stay. As a matter of fact, the international smartphone market reached a momentous milestone in 2014, shipping 1 billion units in a single year for the first time. On top of that, an estimated 65 percent of emails sent today are opened via mobile. With recent advents in iOS and Android development, more smartphone users have adapted to a mobile way of doing business than ever before. The mobile ecosystem in general has skyrocketed with a truly cosmic force, allowing people to do more than ever with a single device. Slowly and surely, the smartphone has worked its way into homes and hearts as what could truly be considered a fifth appendage. It’s with this reality in mind that Internet search giant Google has decided to overhaul its Web-ranking system, and as a result, the functionality of websites toward mobile will soon be a significant part of Google’s ranking system. …
‘Veterinary Nurse’ May Become Protected TitleMay 20, 2015The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, which earlier this year brought veterinary nurses under its regulatory authority, is backing a bill that would forbid anyone not registered with the organization from using the title “veterinary nurse.” Legislation submitted Tuesday in the British Parliament’s House of Lords would permit fines to be levied on unqualified people who use the title or imply they are registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). “It would mark the final brick in the wall of creating a fully-fledged, recognized and protected veterinary nursing profession,” said the bill’s sponsor, Alexander “Sandy” Trees, BVMS, Ph.D., a member of the House of Lords. “This is what the veterinary nursing profession merits and the public deserve.” Supporters did not point to widespread misuse of the veterinary nurse—or veterinary technician—title. A narrated video on the RCVS website focuses on how the law would benefit pets. “It’s still possible for an unregistered person with no training to call themselves a veterinary nurse,” the video noted. “This could put animal welfare at risk. “Only people who have been properly trained and registered should be able to call themselves veterinary nurses.” Kathy Kissick, RVN, chairwoman of the RCVS Veterinary …
Bizarre Meals Cost Pet Owners Plenty in Vet BillsMay 19, 2015Rocks, balls and even rugs have ended up inside dogs, cats and other pets, sometimes with deadly results. The Trupanion pet health insurance company calculated that pets that swallow a foreign object cost their owners hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in veterinary bills to retrieve the item. And the farther a sock or knife—yes, it happens—moves, the more difficult its removal can be. “Some objects can pass uneventfully with supervision, but the longer pet owners wait, the more dangerous—and costly—foreign body ingestion can become,” said Kerri Marshall, DVM, the Seattle company’s chief veterinary officer. “As the object travels further along the gastrointestinal tract, the opportunity for complications increase and the cost to remove the object often increases along with it.” Trupanion, combing its records, reported that removing ingested objects is the second most common insurance claim from dog owners and the third most common among cat owners. The company, whose policies cover up to 90 percent of veterinary costs, paid out more than $1.8 million in 2014 in such cases. The cheapest and easiest removals tend to be for objects lodged in an animal’s mouth. The average cost, according to Trupanion, is $370, with a range of …
Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Crested GeckosMay 19, 2015U.S. public health officials are urging gecko owners to use common sense rather than get rid of their pet after 20 people nationwide were infected with salmonella. The strain, Salmonella Muenchen, has been linked to contact with crested geckos purchased at pet stores in different states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week. Over the past 17 months, 20 people contracted the bacterial strain. Two cases each were reported in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin and single cases in Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee and Virginia. None of the sickened people, ranging in age from 57 to less than 1, died. Three needed to be hospitalized, CDC stated. “The pet industry is working closely with CDC to determine the source of the crested geckos linked to this outbreak in order to prevent additional illnesses,” the agency noted. CDC is teaming up with veterinary and agriculture officials on the investigation. The agency issued the following tips: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling reptiles and their habitats, food or equipment. Children younger than 5, people with weakened immune systems and adults older than 65 are at higher risk …
Penn Vet Creates Executive Director of the Office of Students PositionMay 19, 2015The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has named Mary Bryant, VMD, as executive director of the office of students. In this newly created position, Dr. Bryant will oversee the recently consolidated Office of Admissions and the Office of Student and Curricular Affairs. She will be responsible for recruiting promising new students to Penn Vet and overseeing the welfare and needs of the students during their years on campus. “It is very important to me to continue enrolling the most qualified and diverse students,” Bryant said. “As an alumna and adjunct professor, I have a long history of engagement with Penn Vet. I am really looking forward to working closely with the students to ensure they have the best possible experience here and can look back on their years at Penn Vet as I do: as the best educational experience I ever had. I loved my student years at Penn.” Before joining Penn Vet, Bryant worked for Merial of Duluth, Ga., in Field Veterinary Services, first as a technical services veterinarian, and then as northeast regional director. Bryant has been an adjunct professor at Penn Vet for 14 years, teaching a professional development elective to third-year …
